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Matauga 


anfc  tbe 


Cumberland 


Iby  flDre.  Hnn  JS.  £ntf>er, 

Basbville,  XTenn. 


►price,  25  Cents. 


0)0  i^f     )ECo^/E  ^0v2rt0)2C00)O^0)2rt0)°'^0)O<^0)oC0O^O?O  OJO  ^OJO  ^QJO  (^OJO  ^OjO  ^OJO  ^OJO  ^OJO  ^qOJO  ^q 


National  Bureau  of  EducationJ:: 

Telephone*  1492.  (   ;'"■ 


The  leading  School  and  Tearh- 
Burcau   of    the  ."south   and 
uthwest.       Miss     ( 'rost.hwan 
1  .).   \V.   Iilair,    Proprietors. 
i(i»v-:;o<s  Wilcox  Building,  Nash- 
ville. Tcnn. 


Nashville  College  for  Young  Ladies, 

Treacling  Institution  in  the  South. 

Three  Buildings;  40  Teachers  and  Officers;  ample  curriculum  in  Literature,  Science,  Lan- 
guages; University  professors  as  lecturers;  3  splendid  Art  studios:  only  passenger  elevators  in 
school  use  here;  unexampled  health;  dressmaking  department ;  linest  elocutionary  instruction; 
<>  music  teachers;  finely  equipped  gymnasium;  pipe  organ  for  instruction;  elegant  rooms;  no 
crow  ding  of  pupils.  Session  opens  September  2,  1S95.  Catalogues  giving  terms  on  application. 
KEV.  GEO.  W.  F.  IMJICE,  D.D.,  President,  los  Vauxliall  Place,  Nashville.  Tcnn 

mw  f  ^    £-.       s-y    k     w   ¥    A     ¥        teacher  of    individual    pupils    in    usual    school    branches. 
JW  I  ^^    C/ A  II  A  L,  r$ilckwill<l  l»«l»ls  advanced:  progressive  ones  rapidly  pro- 

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barrassment to  timid  ones.    Young  men,  boys  and  girls,  who  are  in  business,  educated  without  loss 
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Recitation  rooms,  .">:; I1  ^  Church  Street,  Nashville,  Tcnn. 

5f?<x  Confederate  l/eterap, 

Established  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  by  S.  A.  Cunningham,  in  January,  '93,  at  once 
was  accepted  by  veterans  and  Southern  people  everywhere.  Confederate  organiza- 
tions, singly  and  in  general,  almost  without  exception,  made  it  their  official  organ. 
Certainly  there  has  never  been  any  publication  in  the  South  so  universally  popular. 
The  Veteran  is  "patriotic  and  progressive."  It  is  very  considerate  of  the  '"powers 
that  be,"  but  it  is  enthusiastic  in  vindication  of  the  spirit  of  the  Southern  people  in 
all  they  have  done.  The  Veteran  is  finely  illustrated  and  printed  on  excellent  book 
paper.    $1  per  year.    Sample  copy  sent  on  application. 

SUBSCRIBE   FDR  — ~- — V 

THE  SUNNY  SOUTH, 

OUR   SOUTHERN    F=K7V^IL-V    PHPER, 
ATLANTA,  GA. 

Gives  Information  of  the  Atlanta  Exposition. 


Price,  $2  per  year. 


®ntbcmHatauga 


an*  tbe  Cumberland, 


3$  flDrs.  Unix  jS.  Sn^cr, 

IHasbville,  ftenn. 


"IRasbville,  Genu,: 

©ublisbino  Ibouse  /to.  e.  cburcb,  Soutb. 

IS95. 


B  prefatory  Wlorfc. 


THIS  little  book  makes  no  claim  to  the  dignity  of  a  history, 
nor  does  it  offer  any  original  contribution  to  the  material 
of  the  history  of  this  interesting  subject.  But  1896  being 
the  centennial  year  of  Tennessee,  some  salient  questions, 
in  regard  to  its  beginning  as  a  State,  will  naturally  arise. 
These  questions  this  pamphlet  attempts  to  answer  by  a  nar- 
rative of  the  important  facts  in  its  early  history. 


COPYRIGHTED,    1S95. 


r\ 


r    • 
-d17 


<§)n  tbe  ■  ■  ■  Hnfc  tbe  ■  ■  ■ 

Watauga  *  Cumberland 

JUST  as  the  colonies  were  girding  themselves  for  the 
Revolutionary  War,   the  advance  guard  of  Western 
pioneers  was  crossing  the  Alleghanies  and  the  Blue 
Ridge.      But  we  are  specially  concerned  with  only  a 
mere  fragment  of  this  band  of  adventurous  nation  builders 
that  were  breaking  over  the  barrier  of  the  mountains.     Into 
that  part  of  North  Carolina  now  known  as  Tennessee  this 
~   small  fragment  pressed  its  way,  and  so,  as  early  as  1768,  on 

uj    an  island  in  the  beautiful  Watauga  River,  ten  families  of  set- 
to  ° 

>»    tiers  established  themselves,  thus  making  the  beginning  of 

<  the  State  of   Tennessee.     But  the  beauty  of  the  hills  and 
™    valleys  and  the  fertility  of  the  soil  of  what  is  now  East  Ten- 
nessee soon  attracted  others,  who  were  urged  also  by  the  op- 
pression  of  the  British  Governors  of  the  older  States.    These 

"^j    left  the  homes  which  they  had  already  built  in  North  Carolina, 
:»    Virginia,  and  South  Carolina;  and  founded  new  ones  along 

the  borders  of  the  Watauga,  the  French  Broad,  the  Holston, 

and  Clinch  Rivers. 
d  In  the  Watauga  settlement  were  two  men  destined  to  play 
*  an  important  part  in  the  making  of  two  States:  Daniel 
6  Boone  and  James  Robertson.  The  former,  moved  by  the 
uj  spirit  of  adventure,  crossed  the  mountains  to  the  westward 
£[      and  solved  the  mystery  of  the  land  that  lay  beyond.     Bring- 

<  ing  back  to  the  Watauga  marvelous  and  almost  incredible 
accounts  of  the  richness  of  the  soil  of  the  new  country  and 
the  abundance  of  its  game,  a  large  party  returned  with  him, 
following  the  paths  of  the  deer  and  buffalo,  to  make  a  set- 
tlement; and  thus  Watauga  is,  in  a  sense,  the  mother  of  Ken- 
tuck)*. 

When  Boone  and  his  party  left.  James  Robertson  remained 

00 
460033 


©n  tbe  TKHatauoa  anO  tbe  <Iumberlan&. 


behind,  busily  engaged  in  building  a  cabin  and  clearing  some 
land  to  plant  a  small  crop  of  corn  in  the  spring.  But  he 
looked  to  the  high  mountains  toward  the  west,  and  he  too 
became  keenly  curious  to  know  the  land  beyond  them  ;  so  he 
prepared  himself  at  once,  and,  bidding  his  comrades  fare- 
well, turned  his  face  again  to  the  west.  For  three  days  he 
struggled  with  labor  and  pain  through  tangled  undergrowth 
and  brier  bushes.  On  the  third  day  the  clouds  obscured  the 
sun,  and  even  this  practiced  woodsman  was  lost  in  the  untrod- 
den forest.  He  was  compelled  to  turn  his  horse  loose,  and, 
subsisting  on  roots  and  berries,  he  dragged  himself  along  on 
foot  until  finally,  through  sheer  exhaustion,  he  fell  down  thor- 
oughly discouraged.  But  he  heard  the  sound  of  a  hunter's 
horn,  and  feebly  called  for  help.  John  Greer  and  Jonas 
Cartwright  came  to  his  relief,  and  put  new  life  into  his  jaded 
spirit  by  telling  him  that  a  iew  miles  farther  he  could  look 
down  upon  the  hills  and  valleys  of  an  exceedingly  fair  coun- 
try. Thus  what  is  now  Middle  Tennessee  came  into  the 
realization  of  its  future  founder. 

The  two  hunters  nursed  him  tenderly  in  their  rude  hut  un- 
til he  was  strong  enough  to  make  the  journey  back  to  Wa- 
tauga, he  dreaming  all  the  time,  no  doubt,  of  claiming  from 
beast  and  savage  the  lands  of  which  he  had  heard. 

On  his  return  to  the  settlement  he  found  everything  in  a 
state  of  turmoil  and  trouble.  The  settlers  were  organizing 
themselves  into  bands  called  "  Regulators,"  in  order  to  resist 
the  encroachments  of  the  Royalists  upon  their  rights.  The 
spirit  of  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill  was  stirring  vigorously 
among  these  extreme  western  guardians  of  American  civili- 
zation. The  result  was  the  unsuccessful  battle  of  Alamance, 
May  16,  1771,  in  which  they  actually  fought  against  Gov. 
Tryon  and  the  regular  British  troops.  This  shows  the  tem- 
per of  the  men  who  were  to  be  the  founders  of  the  great 
State  of  Tennessee. 

It  is  very  probable  that  Capt.  Robertson  with  his  com- 
pany participated  in  this  battle.  Fearing  that  the  trouble 
was  not  over,  he  joined  his  wife  and  familv  in  Wake  Coun- 


©n  tbe  1KHatauoa  anfc  tbe  Cumberland. 


ty,  N.  C.  But  his  heart  was  still  in  the  West,  and  a  short 
while  afterwards  he  led  a  large  party  of  emigrants  to  the 
Watauga  settlement.  This  company  of  emigrants  really  fled 
from  the  oppression  of  Gov.  Try  on.  Hence  it  is  not  sur- 
prising to  find,  just  one  year  after  the  battle  of  Alamance, 
the  organization  of  the  remarkable  "  Watauga  Association," 
which,  if  taken  in  its  full  meaning,  is  virtually  a  declaration 
of  independence.  At  any  rate,  it  was  the  first  attempt  at 
independent  civil  government  west  of  the  mountains.  James 
Robertson,  John  Sevier,  and  eleven  others  were  chosen  com- 
missioners to  draw  up  a  compact  of  agreement  and  govern- 
ment. For  six  years  the  settlement  was  an  independent  little 
republic,  until  1778,  when  it  became  Washington  County  of 
North  Carolina.  It  was  these  same  men  who,  a  few  years  later, 
broke  the  tide  of  British  success  in  the  South,  and  made  King's 
Mountain  the  turning  point  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 

It  would  seem  now  that  the  men  of  Watauga  would  want 
to  enjoy  the  well-earned  pleasures  and  advantages  of  com- 
parative security,  and  gather  the  fruits  of  peace.  But  not 
so;  their  mission  was  still  westward,  and  the  earnest  pioneer 
felt  that  there  was  no  rest  for  him  so  long-  as  there  were  sav- 
age  men  to  conquer,  trees  to  fell,  bridges  to  be  built,  waste 
places  to  reclaim,  and  cities  to  be  founded.  In  this  spirit, 
together  with  the  natural  zest  for  adventure  which  strong 
men  feel,  in  the  spring  of  T779,  Capt.  James  Robertson, 
George  Freeland,  William  Neely,  John  Greer,  John  Handly, 
William  Overall,  and  others  set  out  for  the  valley  of  the 
Cumberland  in  order  to  plant  a  small  crop,  and  thus  prepare 
the  way  for  the  larger  body  of  settlers  whom  Robertson  was 
organizing  to  be  the  "  advance  guard  of  Western  civiliza- 
tion." 

This  was  the  beginning  of  the  first  serious  attempt  to  set- 
tle the  district  of  country  now  known  as  Davidson  County. 
The  very  great  abundance  of  large  game  had  attracted  such 
adventurous  huntsmen  and  traders  as  the  Frenchmen,  De 
Monbreun  and  Charleville,  and  Jasper  Mansker,  Sharp, 
Holliday.  and  Spencer. 


On  tbe  Mataiuja  an£>  tbc  Cumberland. 


After  preparing  in  a  rude  way  for  those  who  were  to  fol- 
low, Capt.  Robertson  and  his  associates  returned  to  the  Wa- 
tauga;  but  ther  did  not  tarry  long.  On  November  i,  1779, 
he,  Robertson,  led  his  band  of  pioneers  on  a  toilsome,  try- 
ing journey  toward  their  future  home  on  the  Cumberland. 
In  spite  of  snow  and  storm  and  unusually  bitter  winter 
weather,  on  Christmas  Day  the  weary  but  dauntless  travel- 
ers reached  the  Cumberland  River  at  a  point  just  opposite 
the  Nashville  bluffs.  On  a  cheerless  winter  day  they  crossed 
on  the  frozen  river  and  at  once  set  themselves  to  work  build- 
ing rude  log  huts  and  fortresses  for  the  shelter  and  protec- 
tion of  the  women  and  children  who  were  following  by  water 
under  the  charge  of  Col.  Donelson.  In  one  of  the  boats 
Capt.  Robertson  himself  had  his  wife  and  five  children  and 
other  relatives.  But  this  remarkable  journey  of  many  miles 
down  the  Watauga,  into  the  Ilolston,  thence  into  the  Ten- 
nessee, into  the  Ohio,  and  up  the  Cumberland  to  the  French 
Lick,  was  accomplished  in  the  midst  of  frequent  attacks  of 
Indians,  dangers  of  storm  and  water,  and  the  horrors  of  a 
contagious  disease. 

For  the  purpose  of  defense,  this  band  on  the  Cumberland 
resolved  itself  into  a  military  organization  with  Capt.  Robert- 
son in  command;  John  Donelson,  lieutenant  colonel;  Rob- 
ert Lucas,  major;  and  George  Freeland,  Isaac  Bledsoe, 
James  Leiper,  John  Rains,  and  Andrew  Buchanan  each  in 
command  of  a  company.  Near  the  French  Lick  there  were 
eight  stations  or  blockhouses  into  which  the  people  would 
gather  in  times  of  danger:  The  Bluff,  Mansker's,  Bledsoe's 
Lick  (now  Castalian  Springs),  Fort  Union  (now  Hayes- 
boro),  Eaton's,  and  Stone's  River,  near  the  Hermitage. 

Just  here  it  may  be  well  to  give  an  account  of  the  relations 
of  the  first  settlers  of  Tennessee  with  their  terrible  foes — 
the  Indians,  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  the  State.  From 
the  beginning,  in  spite  of  all  efforts  at  conciliation,  every  at- 
tempt at  settlement  was  disputed  by  the  savages,  and  their 
wary  cunning  and  bravery  was  met  by  a  superior  cunning 
and  bravery  on  the  part  of  those  who  came  from  the  Caro- 


©n  tbe  Watauga  anfc  tbe  Cumberland. 


Unas  and  Virginia  to  plant  the  seeds  of  a  State  between  the 
mountains  of  East  Tennessee  and  along  the  valleys  of  its 
rivers.  The  result  was  that  the  men  of  the  Watauga  and 
the  Cumberland  not  only  cleared  the  soil  to  raise  food  from, 
not  only  hewed  the  wood  to  build  shelter  for  themselves  and 
families,  not  only  hunted  the  wild  game  whose  meat  gave 
them  sustenance  and  whose  skin  gave  them  clothing;  but 
each  was  always  a  soldier,  ever  on  the  watch  against  a  re- 
lentless and  treacherous  foe — a  soldier  in  the  cornfield,  in 
the  hunt,  and  around  the  fireside.  And  the  story  of  the  lives 
of  the  makers  of  Tennessee  under  such  trying  conditions  is 
the  cherished  familiar  possession  of  their  descendants;  and 
one  need  not  go  to  the  pages  of  fictitious  romance  to  find 
the  golden  qualities  of  manly  endeavor  and  womanly  sacri- 
fice. These  golden  qualities  shine  in  the  very  truth  of  the 
narrative  of  their  adventures. 

The  natural  hatred  of  the  Indians  was  kept  perpetually 
fanned:  first,  by  the  intrigues  of  the  French  and  Spanish 
traders  of  the  southwest  and  west,  jealous  of  the  thin  line  of 
English  settlers  gradually  creeping  over  the  Alleghanies  and 
moving  toward  the  Mississippi  valley;  then  by  the  British, 
when  the  war  of  the  Revolution  broke  out,  endeavoring  by 
plots  and  wiles  to  unite  the  great  northern  and  southern 
tribes  in  one  grand  alliance,  and  with  them  to  fall,  with  all 
the  horrors  of  Indian  warfare,  upon  the  rear  of  the  seaboard 
colonists  who  were  fighting  so  manfully  for  their  independ- 
ence. It  is  on  this  account  that  Gilmore  aptly  calls  this 
handful  of  heroic  riflemen  the  "  rear  guard  of  the  Revolu- 
tion." Thus,  not  only  as  the  authors  of  the  first  declaration 
of  independence  at  Mecklenburg,  May,  1776,  not  onlv  as 
the  break  against  the  tide  of  British  success  at  King's 
Mountain,  but  also  in  holding  the  Watauga  and  Cumber- 
land settlements,  in  boldlv  carrving  the  war  into  the  very 
towns  of  the  Indian,  thus  bending  his  spirit  to  theirs,  John 
Sevier,  James  Robertson,  Evan  Shelby,  Isaac  Shelby,  and 
others  were,  in  defending  their  own  homes,  defending  also 
the  homes  along  the  seaboard. 


©n  tbe  Mataucja  anD  tbe  Cumberland. 


The  first  regularly  organized  plan  on  the  part  of  the  Indi- 
ans to  exterminate  the  settlers  was  undertaken  by  the  strong 
tribes  of  the  Cherokees  under  the  noted  chiefs,  Dragging 
Canoe  and  Old  Abraham.  These  plans  meant  skillfully  con- 
certed attacks  all  along  the  line  of  the  settlements  on  the 
Clinch  and  the  Holston  Rivers,  and  at  Watauga.  At  every 
exposed  point  the  Indians  carried  death  and  destruction,  yet 
the  settlers  managed  to  beat  them  off.  It  was  at  the  defense 
of  Watauga  that  John  Sevier  saw  his  future  bride,  Kate 
Sherrill,  surprised  by  a  band  of  Indians  on  the  outside  of 
the  fort,  run  with  the  fleetness  of  a  deer,  literally  club  her 
way  through  a  band  of  howling  savages,  leap  the  palisade, 
and  fall  into  his  own  arms — a  fit  bride  for  the  heroic  pioneer 
and  first  Governor  of  Tennessee. 

These  attacks  were  but  a  part  of  a  very  formidable  con- 
spiracy instigated  by  the  British  for  the  purpose  of  destroy- 
ing the  outlying  settlements  and  then  pressing  on  to  the 
coast.  The  colonists  recognized  the  greatness  of  the  dan- 
ger, and  at  once  organized  several  expeditions  to  go  from 
different  directions  upon  the  Indians.  These  different  forces, 
commanded  by  Col.  Jack  and  Col.  Bury,  from  Georgia ; 
Gen.  Williamson,  from  South  Carolina;  Col.  Christine,  Col. 
Sevier,  Col.  Shelby,  and  Gen.  Rutherford,  were  all  success- 
ful, and  by  active,  vigorous  measures  the  power  of  the  In- 
dians in  what  is  now  East  Tennessee,  North  Georgia,  and 
the  Western  Carolinas  was  forever  crippled. 

But  how  fares  it  at  the  hands  of  the  Indians  with  the  little 
band  who  had  landed  at  the  bluffs  of  the  Cumberland  in  the 
drear  winter  of  1779  and  the  early  spring  of  1780?  Thinly 
scattered  for  thirty  miles  along  the  river,  it  would  seem  that 
they  would  be  an  easy  prey  for  treacherous  bands  of  prowl- 
ing savages.  But  watchful  eyes,  strong  arms,  and  stout 
hearts  stood  in  the  place  of  numbers,  even  when  failure 
seemed  inevitable.  And  now  in  the  light  of  the  present, 
when  men  have  enjoyed  peace  and  security  so  long  that 
they  shrink  from  trouble  and  danger,  it  is  hard  to  under- 
stand why  the  pioneer  suffered  and  died  to  hold  a  wilderness 


©n  tbe  Watauga  anfc  tbe  Cumberland. 


in  the  West,  with  civilization  behind  him  in  the  East.  That 
he  held  it  against  the  savage,  and  claimed  it  for  the  arts  and 
institutions  of  civilized  life,  is  why  we  celebrate  with  festal 
jov,  with  civic  and  industrial  display,  the  year  thai  ends  a 
hundred  years  of  State  life. 

The  winter  of  1780  found  the  settlers  on  the  banks  of  the 
Cumberland  in  dire  straits.  An  overflow  of  the  Cumberland 
had  partially  destroyed  their  crops;  the  Indians  cut  off  any 
who  dared  to  get  beyond  the  range  of  the  forts,  and  threat- 
ened always  a  general  attack;  there  was  scarcely  a  family 
out  of  whose  number  one  or  more  had  not  been  killed ;  in 
less  than  a  year  the  little  band  had  been  depleted  almost 
one-half;  their  ammunition  had  nearly  all  given  out.  Thus 
they  faced  the  dreary  prospects  of  the  coming  winter  with- 
out supplies,  without  powder,  with  thinned  ranks,  and  sur- 
rounded on  ail  sides  with  relentless  foes.  Under  such 
conditions  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  stoutest  and  bravest 
wavered  and  were  ready  to  give  up  the  enterprise  that  cost 
them  so  much  and  abandon  it  again  to  the  wilderness  and 
the  savage.  So  despairing  and  hopeless  were  they  that  had 
not  Robertson  infused  his  courage  and  unconquerable  spirit 
into  his  comrades  the}-  would  have  faced  the  perils  of  the 
journey  back  to  their  old  homes  at  Watauga.  But  thev  de- 
termined to  stand  with  him  and  grimly  face  the  dangers 
around  them.  Robertson  and  Isaac  Bledsoe  bravely  slipped 
through  the  Indian  lines,  undertaking  for  the  sake  of  the 
others  the  perilous  journey  to  Boonesboro  and  Harrod's 
Station,  in  order  to  obtain  powder  and  other  supplies.  This 
journey  they  safely  accomplished  in  two  months,  bringing 
to  their  desponding  comrades  on  the  Cumberland  the  inspir- 
ing news  of  the  victory  of  King's  Mountain  and  what  it 
meant  to  the  cause  of  American  liberty.  So  with  new  cour- 
age they  took  up  their  own  battle  with  the  savages  around 
them.  The  Indians  attacked  the  settlers  and  drove  them 
into  the  fort  standing  upon  the  spot  now  known  as  the  cor- 
ner of  Cherry  and  Demonbreun  Streets.  A  few  days  later 
Col.  Robertson  discovered  them  on  the  "  Knob,"  the  hill 


io         ©n  tbe  Tlftlatauga  anfc  tbe  Cumberland. 


upon  which  the  Capitol  now  stands,  rejoicing  because  they 
had  scalped  his  son  and  a  young  man  named  Hood,  and  left 
them  for  dead.  He  sallied  out  to  meet  them,  and  succeeded 
in  bringing  in  the  bodies  of  the  young  men  after  a  desperate 
struggle.  During  this  struggle  his  intrepid  wife  stood  upon 
the  lookout  of  the  fort  with  rifle  in  hand,  intently  watching 
its  issue.  Seeing  the  Indians  in  pursuit,  she  turned  loose 
upon  them  forty  savage  hounds,  thanking  God  that  he  had 
put  into  the  Indian  "  a  love  of  horses  and  a  fear  of  dogs." 
Hood,  the  young  man  who  was  scalped  on  this  occasion, 
lived  many  years  to  tell  to  his  descendants  the  story  of  his 
horrible  experience.  Another  pitched  battle,  known  as  the 
"  Battle  of  White's  Creek,"  took  place  across  the  Cumber- 
land.     In  this  several  settlers  lost  their  lives. 

But  it  was  not  so  much  in  the  open  battles  that  the  pio- 
neers suffered  as  in  the  stealthy  attacks  upon  small  parties 
when  they  were  least  expecting  them.  At  no  time  was  there 
any  security  against  such  attacks,  whether  in  the  field,  on 
the  hunt,  or  around  the  fireside. 

Robertson  and  his  associates  were  again  cheered  and 
strengthened  by  glorious  news  from  the  East.  John  Sevier 
and  Evan  Shelby  had  gained  decisive  victories  over  the  In- 
dians, and  Cornwallis  had  surrendered  to  Washington  at 
Yorktown.  The  men  in  the  wilderness  felt  that  their  cause 
was  one  with  their  kinsmen  on  the  coast. 

But  their  rejoicing  was  not  of  long  duration.  Alarming 
news  was  brought  that  the  Indians  were  forming  alliances  to 
make  one  great  effort  to  crush  out  utterly  the  western  set- 
tlement. The  head  of  this  alliance  was  the  Creek  chief 
McGillivray,  a  man  with  more  white  than  Indian  blood  in 
his  veins,  who  had  been  educated  abroad,  thus  adding  to 
the  treacherous  cruelty  and  cunning  of  the  Indian  the  polish 
and  intellectual  training  of  the  white  man.  It  is  said  that 
behind  McGillivray  there  were  nearly  twenty  thousand  war- 
riors, led  not  only  by  his  skill,  but  also  kept  always  fired  for 
vengeance  by  the  intrigues  of  the  Spanish. 

Robertson  realized  that  a  crisis  had  come  in  the  life  of  the 


©n  tbe  Watauga  anfc  tbe  Cumberland.         11 


settlement,  now  eight  years  old.  It  was  in  the  year  1788, 
and  these  eight  years  in  the  wilderness  had  meant  much  to 
them.  In  spite  of  hardships  and  dangers  the  colony  had 
grown ;  from  time  to  time  newcomers  would  cast  their  lot 
with  them.  Immediately  after  the  Revolutionary  War  large 
bodies  of  land  were  given  by  the  State  of  North  Carolina  to 
the  veterans  of  the  war  in  payment  for  their  services.  Many 
of  these  came,  very  materially  strengthening  the  settlement 
in  spirit  and  in  the  number  of  trained  fighting  men.  Fields 
had  been  cultivated,  houses  built,  and  around  these  fields 
and  houses  had  already  bejmn  to  gather  the  "  home  feel- 
ing."  In  view  of  these  conditions,  and  in  the  presence  of 
the  greatest  danger  that  had  ever  threatened  them,  Robert- 
son called  together  the  settlers,  in  order  to  decide  what  was 
best  to  be  done.  But  they  all  looked  to  him  as  their  leader, 
and  begged  that  he,  first  of  all,  advise  what  to  do.  Appre- 
ciating fully  the  gravity  of  the  situation,  his  words  were: 
"  Whether  we  go  or  stay,  we  may  all  be  destroved.  We  can 
go  to  the  fort  and  prepare  ourselves  for  them  [the  Indians]. 
As  for  me  and  my  family,  we  will  stay." 

His  courage  and  determination  were  communicated  to  all, 
and  they  unanimously  agreed  to  remain  and  share  his  fate, 
whatever  that  might  be.  Active  measures  were  therefore 
entered  upon  for  defense.  In  the  meantime,  however,  Rob- 
ertson tried  the  arts  of  diplomacy,  so  he  wrote  to  both  the 
Spanish  agent  and  to  McGillivray,  protesting  against  hostili- 
ties. Of  course  both  of  these  treacherous  enemies,  especial- 
ly the  latter,  were  for  peace.  McGillivray  claimed,  however, 
that  the  tribes  were  all  justly  incensed  on  account  of  Rob- 
ertson's attack  upon  the  Indian  town  of  Coldwater,  on  the 
Tennessee  River,  the  year  previous.  This  attack  Robert- 
son made  in  the  year  1787  because  he  could  no  longer  en- 
dure the  persistent  and  cruel  warfare  that  the  Indians  kept 
up  upon  the  settlement.  Hence  in  that  year  he  collected  all 
his  fighting  men  in  order  to  try  Sevier's  plan  of  boldlv  car- 
rying the  war  into  the  heart  of  the  enemy's  countrv.  This 
expedition  was   signally  successful,  and  the  town  of  Cold- 


12         On  tbe  Watauga  anD  tbe  Cumberland. 


water,  on  the  Tennessee  River,  was  completely  destroyed, 
the  Indians  losing  twenty-six  warriors.  The  effect  of  this 
was  to  give  the  settlers  peace  for  a  short  time. 

Notwithstanding  his  supposed  wrongs,  however,  McGilliv- 
ray  agreed  to  a  peace.  But  in  reality  the  Indians  never  ceased 
committing  their  murders  and  horrible  outrages.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  continue  the  story  of  these  outrages  longer;  the 
meager  account  already  given  will  serve  to  suggest,  only  faint- 
ly perhaps,  what  the  settlers  had  to  endure  in  their  attempt 
to  found  a  State,  and  it  was  not  until  the  year  1794  that  they 
obtained  anything  like  freedom  from  these  attacks,  though 
their  policy  was  always  one  of  conciliation.  In  this  year 
Gen.  Robertson,  Col.  Whitley,  and  Maj.  Ore  led  what  is 
known  as  the  "  Nickajack  "  expedition  against  five  Indian 
towns  on  the  Tennessee  River,  carrying  destruction  among 
them  and  shattering  their  power. 

But  from  the  narrative  of  these  few  pages  it  must  not  be 
concluded  that  the  settlers  on  the  Cumberland  were  doing 
nothing  else  but  fighting  Indians.  They  were  doing  many 
things  besides,  and  chief  among  them  they  were  laying  the 
foundations  of  a  free  State. 

The  Cumberland  settlers,  in  May,  1780,  just  a  few  weeks 
after  the  arrival  of  the  Donelson  party,  drew  up  articles  or- 
ganizing their  little  company  into  a  form  of  representative 
government,  with  executive  and  legislative  powers  vested  in 
the  "Tribunal  of  Notables,"'  a  committee  made  up  of  rep- 
resentatives from  each  of  the  eight  stations.  This  mere 
handful  of  Americans  on  the  very  outskirts  of  civilization 
going  through  with  these  dignified  formalities  of  government, 
with  apparentlv  more  important  matters  pressing  upon  them, 
seems  almost  a  mockery  of  civil  government.  Be  this  as  it 
may,  it  represents  the  habit  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  everywhere : 
the  habit  by  which  he  has  persistently  maintained  his  free  in- 
stitutions all  through  the  centuries. 

Just  five  years  after  these  articles  of  association,  permis- 
sion was  granted  by  the  Legislature  of  North  Carolina  to  lay 
off  the  town  of  Nashville,  so  named  by  Gen.  Robertson  in 


©n  tbe  Watauga  an&  tbe  Cumberland.         i3 


honor  of  his  friend,  Gen.  Nash,  an  officer  of  Revolutionary 
War  fame.  Two  hundred  acres  of  land  were  divided  into 
lots  of  one  acre  each,  to  be  sold  for  four  pounds  of  "  lawful 
money,"  with  the  assurance  that  the  purchaser  would  build 
a  house.  Thus  the  present  corporation  of  the  city  of  Nash- 
ville was  begun. 

In  the  meantime,  at  Greenville,  November  14,  1784,  the 
"first  Legislative  Assembly  ever  convened  in  Tennessee" 
met  and  elected  John  Sevier  Governor  of  the  newly  organ- 
ized State  of  Franklin.  This  condition  of  affairs  came  of 
the  dissatisfaction  felt  with  the  conduct  of  North  Carolina 
with  reference  to  the  western  settlements.  When  the  war 
of  the  Revolution  closed  these  settlements  expected  of  the 
home  government  better  management  of  their  affairs,  es- 
pecially better  protection  from  the  Indians.  But  after  many 
requests,  neither  the  better  management  nor  a  more  thorough 
protection  from  the  Indians  came.  The  result  was  that  the 
old  spirit  of  independence  asserted  itself,  and  with  Sevier  as 
Governor,  the  "State  of  Franklin,"  so  called  in  honor  of 
Benjamin  Franklin,  lived  for  four  years  in  open  rebellion 
against  the  mother  State  until  Sevier  was  defeated  in  a  con- 
flict with  State  authorities,  and  was  forever  disbarred  from 
holding  a  political  office.  This  prohibition  was  subsequent- 
ly removed,  and  in  1790  he  had  the  honor  of  taking  his  seat 
as  the  first  Congressman  ever  elected  from  the  Mississippi 
Valley. 

On  the  2d  of  April,  of  the  same  year,  George  Washington, 
as  President  of  the  United  States,  signed  an  act  approving 
the  cession  of  the  district  now  comprising  the  State  of  Ten- 
nessee from  North  Carolina.  William  Blount  was  commis- 
sioned Territorial  Governor  August  7,  1790.  The  territory 
was  divided  into  two  general  divisions:  the  Washington  Dis- 
trict, comprising  what  is  now  the  East  Tennessee  counties ; 
and  the  Mero  District,  comprising  the  Middle  Tennessee 
counties.  Of  the  former  district  John  Sevier  was  appointed 
major  general;  and  James  Robertson,  of  the  latter.  The 
President  made  David  Campbell  Territorial  Judge,  and  Gov. 


14         ®\\  the  XlClataucia  anfc  tbe  Cumberland. 


Blount  appointed  Daniel  Smith  Secretary  for  the  new  Terri- 
tory. Thus  organized,  it  grew  vigorously  on  toward  state- 
hood, its  most  perplexing  trials  coming  from  the  Indians,  who 
disputed  every  stage  of  its  progress. 

In  the  year  1792  Hugh  Lawson  White  incorporated  the 
town  of  Knoxville.  Here  Gov.  Blount  held  the  seat  of  his 
government.  Knoxville  remained  the  capital  until  the  year 
1813,  when  it  was  removed  to  Nashville;  then  again  it  was 
carried  back  to  Knoxville.  For  a  short  time  it  was  at  Mur- 
freesboro,  but  since  1820  Nashville  has  remained  the  capital 
city. 

June  1,  1796?  is  the  significant  day  in  the  history  of  Ten- 
nessee, for  upon  the  record  of  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States  we  find  the  following  act: 

Whereas,  by  the  acceptance  of  the  deed  of  cession  of  the  State 
of  North  Carolina,  Congress  are  bound  to  lav  out  into  one  or  more 
States  the  territory  thereby  ceded  to  the  United  States. 

Be  it  enacted,  etc.,  That  the  whole  of  the  territory  ceded  to  the 
United  States  by  the  State  of  North  Carolina  shall  be  one  State, 
and  the  same  is  hereby  declared  to  be  one  of  the  States  of  the 
United  States,  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  original  States  in  all 
respects  whatever,  by  the  name  and  title  of  the  State  of  Tennes- 
see. That  in  the  next  general  census  the  State  of  Tennessee 
shall  be  entitled  to  one  Representative  in  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives of  the  United  States  ;  and  in  all  other  respects,  as  far  as 
they  may  be  applicable,  the  laws  of  the  United  States  shall  extend 
to  and  have  force  in  the  State  of  Tennessee  in  the  same  manner 
as  if  the  State  had  originally  been  one  of  the  United  States. 
Approved  June  1,  1796. 

George  Washington,  Jonathan  Dayton, 

President  of  the  United  States.         Speaker  of  the  House; 

Samuel  Livermore, 
Speaker  of  the  Senate  pro  tern. 

Thus,  just  twenty-eight  years  after  the  little  band  of  heroic 
souls  took  their  place  on  the  island  in  the  Watauga,  Tennes- 
see was  admitted  into  the  sisterhood  of  States.  Andrew 
Jackson,  destined  to  be  one  of  her  greatest  citizens,  gave  to 
her  the  beautiful  name  of  Tennessee.     This  was  the   mu- 


©n  tbe  Matauga  anfc  tbe  Cumberland.         15 


sical  epithet  by  which  the  Indians  designated  that  majestic 
stream  that  came  out  of  her  mountains,  bent  its  way  around 
the  farthest  borders  of  the  western  settlements,  and  poured 
its  waters  through  the  "dark  and  bloody  ground  "  into  the 
Ohio. 

Already,  however,  in  anticipation  of  the  act  of  Congress, 
the  Legislature  and  Senate  of  Tennessee  convened  at  Knox- 
ville  on  March  28  of  the  same  year.  The  result  of  the  re- 
cent election  were  ascertained  to  be  that  "  Citizen  John  Se- 
vier is  duly  and  constitutionally  elected  Governor  of  this 
State."  And  on  the  30th  of  March,  in  the  presence  of  both 
Houses  and  of  the  retiring  territorial  Governor,  William 
Blount,  he  was  inaugurated  first  Governor  of  the  State  for 
which  he  had  done  so  much.  He  had  led  them  when  they 
had  been  a  meager  band  of  a  few  hundred  pioneers;  now, 
as  Governor,  he  was  the  leader  of  nearly  seventy  thousand 
people,  henceforth  calling  themselves  Tennesseeans.  Thus, 
with  John  Sevier  as  her  first  Governor,  Tennessee  entered 
upon  the  first  year  of  her  history  as  a  State ;  and  after  a 
hundred  years  her  people  are  celebrating  this  year  and  this 
event. 

In  the  short  account  of  the  facts  that  led  to  the  making  of 
the  State  two  names  have  appeared  in  these  pages  oftener 
than  any  others,  the  names  of  John  Sevier  and  James  Rob- 
ertson. Through  the  enterprise,  the  courage,  the  endurance, 
and  faith  of  these  two  men  Tennessee  became  a  State.  Both 
were  leaders  full  of  resources,  and  always  capable  of  inspir- 
ing confidence  and  dependence  in  their  followers.  To  Se- 
vier the  parent  settlement  on  the  Watauga  owed  the  victory 
in  its  strenuous  struggle  for  existence ;  to  the  western  settle- 
ment on  the  Cumberland  James  Robertson  stood  in  the  same 
relation.  Without  both  the  history  of  Tennessee  would  not 
have  been  what  it  is.  Hence,  in  this  centennial  year,  the 
State,  looking  back  of  the  bare  date,  1796,  that  marks  its 
birth,  sees  these  two  commanding  figures  molding  the  forces 
that  made  this  birth  a  possibility;  and,  in  recognition  of 
what  they  were   and  what  they  did,  gratefully  keeps  their 


16         Qn  tbe  Watauoa  anfc  tbe  Cumberland. 


names  and  their  history  indissolubly  joined  with  her  name 
and  her  history. 

Both,  however,  were  rewarded  by  being  permitted  to  live 
lon<r  enough  to  see  the  infant  State,  of  which  each  has  been 
called  "  father,"  pass  into  a  prosperous  and  vigorous  youth, 
free  from  the  dangers  and  hardships  which  had  so  sorely 
beset  them.  Robertson  died  September  i,  1815,  among  the 
Chickasaw  Indians;  still,  though  a  very  old  man,  giving  his 
services  to  his  country.  Sevier  died  June  24,  in  the  same 
year,  being  employed  on  a  government  mission  in  North 
Alabama.  Both  were  interred  where  they  died,  but  in 
1825  the  remains  of  Robertson  were  brought  to  Nashville 
and  buried  in  the  old  city  cemetery,  where  only  a  simple 
stone  marks  his  last  resting  place ;  while  just  a  few  years 
ago  the  Legislature  of  Tennessee  had  Sevier's  dust  brought 
from  North  Alabama  to  Tennessee.  It  was  reinterred  in  the 
courthouse  yard  at  Knoxville,  and  over  his  grave  has  been 
erected  a  monument  to  his  memory. 

A  fitting  close  for  this  sketch  of  the  early  history  of  Ten- 
nessee would  be  something  of  the  resources  of  the  country 
rescued  from  the  savage  and  the  wilderness  by  the  men  of 
the  Watauga  and  the  Cumberland.  In  the  first  place,  before 
entering  upon  the  material  resources  of  the  State,  it  should 
be  mentioned  that  Tennessee  has  always  been  a  land  of 
churches  and  schools.  The  Methodist  circuit  rider,  the 
Baptist  and  the  Presbyterian  preacher,  came  with  the  pioneer 
to  his  new  home  and  softened  the  hardships  of  frontier  life 
with  the  comforts  and  promises  of  the  gospel.  And  so  it 
was  a  God-fearing  folk  that  crossed  the  mountains  with  rifle 
and  ax  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  churches  and  religious 
institutions  of  all  denominations.  Moreover,  being  princi- 
pally Scotch-Irish,  they  brought  with  them  that  race's  de- 
cided appreciation  of  the  value  and  need  of  education. 
Hence  as  soon  as  the  pioneer  had  built  a  shelter  for  himself 
and  family  his  next  step  was  to  build  a  log  house  for  school 
and  religious  purposes.  As  earlv  as  1785  Rev.  Samuel 
Doak,  a  graduate  from  old  Princeton,  founded  Martin  Acad- 


©n  tbe  Watauga  anfc  tbe  Cumbeiianfc.         17 


emy,  said  to  be  the  first  school  west  of  the  Alleghany  Moun- 
tains. Later,  in  the  same  year,  James  Robertson  rode  horse- 
back a  distance  of  over  twelve  hundred  miles  to  the  Legis- 
lature of  North  Carolina  and  obtained  a  charter,  with  a  grant 
of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land,  for  Davidson  Acad- 
emy. Rev.  Thomas  Craighead,  also  a  graduate  of  Prince- 
ton, was  elected  first  president,  and  it  was  opened  in  the  . 
following  year  at  Haysboro,  six  miles  east  of  Nashville.  By 
various  changes  the  present  Normal  College  and  University 
of  Nashville  may  be  called  the  descendant  of  Davidson 
Academy.  From  such  a  beginning  as  this  Tennessee  to-day 
is  dotted  with  prosperous  academies  and  colleges,  with  here 
and  there  a  university  to  crown  the  entire  system.  To  this 
may  be  added  a  rapidly  improving  common  school  system. 

Tennessee  is  far  famed  for  its  natural  resources.  The 
first  pioneer  could  not  have  conceived  what  was  in  store  for 
him.  Stretching  from  the  lowlands  of  the  great  Mississippi 
River  to  the  ragged  peaks  of  the  Appalachian  chain  of 
mountains  on  the  east  there  are  forty-two  thousand  and  fifty 
square  miles,  or  twenty-seven  million  acres  of  land. 

The  great  Civil  War  upturned  the  system  of  slavery. 
Like  her  sister  States  of  the  South,  time  has  been  required 
to  recover  from  its  disastrous  effects.  Yet  she  has  rallied 
and  come  to  the  front,  fully  alive  to  the  advantages  and  op- 
portunities. Of  our  four  larger  cities,  each  one  is  found  in 
a  prosperous  condition,  in  spite  of  depressing  times.  Nash- 
ville is  called  the  "Athens  of  the  South."  It  is  well  to  state 
here  that  Memphis,  the  beautiful  city  on  the  bluff,  was  the 
first  inland  cotton  market.  In  the  year  185 1  Col.  John  Pope, 
of  Shelby  County,  received  the  medal  for  the  finest  cotton 
on  exhibition  at  the  London  Exposition.  Memphis  is  a  pro- 
gressive, wide-awake  city,  and  her  people  are  full  of  enter- 
prise. Chattanooga  is  called  Pittsburg  No.  2 — a  city  so 
thrifty  and  progressive  that  it  has  increased  more  rapidly 
than  either  of  the  four  principal  cities.  Knoxville,  a  great  in- 
dustrial center,  has  had  a  wonderful  degree  of  development. 
A  large  portion  of  East  Tennessee  abounds  in  coal,  iron,  and 
2 


18         Qn  the  "Wflatauoa  anD  tbc  Cumberland 


a  variety  of  beautiful  marble,  the  like  not  known  in  many- 
places.  Through  Col.  Hardee  Murfree,  for  whom  it  bears 
its  name,  Murfreesboro  was  incorporated  in  the  year  1797. 
llis  descendants  there  are  doing  honor  to  his  name,  among 
the  rest  Miss  Fannie  Murfree,  author  of  "  Felicia,"  and  Miss 
Mary  ("Charles  Egbert  Craddock").  Columbia,  famous 
for  her  intellectual  people,  is  the  county  seat  of  Maury,  one 
of  the  finest  counties  for  stock  raising  and  cotton  production. 
Williamson  County  effected  organization  in  1799.  Commis- 
sioners named  Franklin,  the  county  seat,  in  honor  of  Benja- 
min Franklin.  Clarksville,  on  the  Cumberland  (Indian 
name  Shawnee),  is  famous  for  being  headquarters  of  Clarks- 
ville tobacco  for  many  years.  In  the  year  185 1  Clarksville 
tobacco  received  the  premium  at  the  London  Exposition  for 
the  best  tobacco  on  exhibition.  It  is  shipped  to  Germany, 
France,  and  Spain.  Northern  counties  of  West  Tennessee 
also  raise  fine  tobacco.  They  have  many  thriving  towns 
and  villages,  and  raise  fine  cotton.  The  West  Tennesseean 
loves  his  money  crops,  as  he  calls  them,  caring  little  for 
other  produce  except  for  home  consumption.  If  he  rents 
his  land  on  account  of  over  abundance  to  work,  he  prefers 
the  cotton  to  the  money  in  payment. 

Sheep  raising  has  been  on  the  decline  in  Tennessee  for 
many  years,  although  she  possesses  natural  advantages  for 
grazing  purposes.  Mark  R.  Cockrill,  a  nephew  of  Gen. 
James  Robertson^  whose  mother  came  over  with  John  Donel- 
son  on  the  flagship  "Adventure,"'  won  the  medal  in  the  year 
1851  at  the  great  London  Exposition  for  the  finest  specimen 
of  wool  on  exhibition. 

Lebanon,  the  county  seat  of  Wilson,  has  always  been  con- 
sidered a  place  of  schools  of  the  highest  character.  Many 
distinguished  men  have  attended  the  literary  and  law  school 
of  Lebanon. 

Gallatin,  the  county  seat  of  old  Summer,  is  full  of  mem- 
orable events  of  the  past.  Sumner  County  farmers  love  fine 
stock,  and  take  great  care  in  the  selection  of  the  breed  of 
horses  and  cattle. 


Qn  tbe  Watauga  anfc  tbc  Cumberland.         19 


The  first  cotton  grown  west  of  the  mountains  was  planted 
by  Capt.  John  Donelson  in  the  year  1780,  near  the  "  Hermit- 
age," on  the  east  side  of  the  Cumberland  River.  Maury, 
Giles,  Hickman,  and  portions  of  Davidson  and  Williamson 
Counties  raise  cotton.  In  the  year  1890  one  hundred  thou- 
sand bales  were  raised;  in  the  year  1892  eight  hundred  thou- 
sand bales  were  raised  in  Tennessee — a  wonderful  increase. 
Pulaski,  Giles's  county  seat,  is  a  lovely  place,  full  of  enter- 
prising, churchgoing  people.  Shelbyville,  the  county  seat  of 
Bedford,  is  a  thriving  town  with  rich  surroundings.  Jackson 
is  the  county  seat  of  -the  productive  county  of  Madison. 
The  most  important  town  of  West  Tennessee,  next  to  Mem- 
phis, is  Jackson.  High  up  in  the  mountains  we  find  Sewanee, 
the  lovely  little  village  which  contains  our  University  of  the 
South.  McMinnville,  the  county  seat  of  Warren,  is  the  home 
of  the  old  man  of  the  mountain,  Col.  John  Savage.  Winches- 
ter, the  county  seat  of  Franklin,  raises  fine  corn,  an  abun- 
dance of  hogs,  fruits,  and  vegetables,  and  possesses  fine 
schools.  Winchester  is  famous.  Springfield  is  the  county 
seat  of  Robertson,  named  for  Gen.  James  Robertson.  Rob- 
ertson County  raises  wheat  and  fine  corn.  Much  of  the 
corn  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  that  fine  whisky  known 
nearly  all  over  the  world — Robertson  County  whisk}'. 

The  cultivation  of  the  peanut  was  introduced  into  Hick- 
man County  by  Jesse  George,  who  brought  the  seed  from 
North  Carolina.  Discovering  the  soil  to  be  of  a  gravelly 
nature,  therefore  suitable  for  its  production,  he  planted  his 
first  crop  with  great  success,  and  afterwards  it  was  cultivated 
in  Humphreys,  Perry,  and  other  counties.  The  crops  at  this 
time  are  valued  very  highly,  being  shipped  all  through  our 
own  country  as  well  as  across  the  waters. 

As  to  timber,  no  State  in  the  United  States  can  be  com- 
pared to  Tennessee.  In  passing  through  this  country, 
factories  for  the  manufacture  of  furniture  and  plows  of  Ten- 
nessee hard  wood  are  noticed,  as  well  as  hard-wood  mantels. 
The  swamp  lands  contain  large  bodies  of  cypress,  while  the 
hills  are  covered  with  oak,  hickory,  and  other  varieties.    East 


20         ©n  tbe  Watauga  atafc  tbe  CumbeiianD. 


Tennessee  abounds  with  heavy  forests  of  hemlock,  pine,, 
spruce,  and  twelve  varieties  of  oak.  Red  oak  grows  in 
nearly  every  portion  of  the  State.  Black  walnut  abounds  in 
the  rich  lands;  chestnut,  on  the  ridges  of  East  Tennessee 
and  in  a  small  portion  of  the  gravelly  soil  of  Middle  Ten- 
nessee. Several  varieties  of  poplar  measuring  twenty-five 
feet  in  circumference  are  found  in  many  localities.  Syca- 
more, which  is  very  valuable  wood,  abounds  on  the  borders 
of  all  the  streams  in  the  State.  Black  and  white  locust  are 
plentiful. 

The  manufacture  of  whisky  dates  back  to  1775.  Gen. 
James  Robertson,  learning  of  the  building  of  distilleries  for 
the  manufacture  of  whisky,  obtained  the  passage  of  an  act 
to  prohibit  their  erection.  After  many  years  the  law  was  re- 
pealed, and  Tennessee  has  since  furnished  her  portion  of  fine 
whisky.  Robertson,  Stewart,  and  Montgomery  Counties, 
and  a  portion  of  Sumner,  manufacture  whisky. 

The  mining  and  shipping  of  phosphate  rock  is  a  most  im- 
portant industry,  and  very  little  is  known  of  its  wonderful 
development.  The  rock  is  found  at  this  time  in  Hickman 
and  Lewis  Counties,  and  has  probably  been  discovered  at 
other  points.  On  the  line  of  the  Nashville  and  Tuscaloosa 
branch  of  the  Nashville,  Chattanooga,  and  St.  Louis  railroad, 
sixty  miles  west  of  Nashville,  the  Southwestern,  Swan  Creek, 
and  Duck  River  Companies,  also  the  Tennessee  Mining 
Company,  are  in  operation.  Crushers  are  used,  the  rock 
being  powdered  and  utilized  for  fertilizing  purposes. 


j£arl\>  Settlers  on  tbe  Watauoa  anb 
tbe  Cumberland 


-•-•- 


James  Robertson, 
Charles  Robertson, 
Eeijah  Robertson, 
Valentine  Sevier, 
Daniel  Boone, 
Robert  Boone, 
James  Shaw, 
Capt.  Leiper, 
James  Freeland, 
John  Donelson, 
John  Rains, 
Cornelius  Riddle, 
Samuel  Doak, 
James  White, 
David  Campbell, 
John  Tucker, 
John  Saunders, 
Robert  Hays, 
Anthony  Hart 
John  Hunter, 
Jonas  Greer, 
James  Wilkerson, 
Lardner  Clarke, 
John  Greer, 
George  Greer, 
Absalom  Tatum, 
Isaac  Shelby, 
David  Shelby, 
Evan  Shelby, 
John  Shelby, 
Anthony  Bledsoe, 
Isaac  Bledsoe, 
Richard  Henderson, 
John  Doak, 


John  Tipton, 
Moses  Renfroe, 
Robert  Cartwright, 
John  Bean, 
Isaac  Roberts, 
John  Adair, 
John  Gentry, 
William  Gentry, 
John  Flood, 
John  Griffith, 
John  Sevier, 
William  Blount, 
James  Blount, 
Elijah  Polk, 
James  Polk, 
James  Knox, 
John  Knox, 
Henry  Knox, 
Peter  Bryant, 
John  Ruddle, 
Thomas  Gilbert, 
Matthias  Maker, 
John  Strother, 
James  Hubbard, 
Zachariah  Cox, 
Thomas  D.  Craighead, 
John  Craighead, 
David  Hoss, 
Cesar  Hoss, 
David  Smith, 
John  Gordon, 
John  Colbert, 
John  Lewis, 
and  others. 

(21) 


Clippings  from  IRecorbs, 

— •-• — 

THE  trip  of  that  wonderful  boat,  the  "Adventure,'* 
Col.  John  Donelson  commanding,  was  certainly  a 
venturesome  undertaking.  The  names  of  those  on 
board  were  as  follows:  John  Donelson,  Thomas  Hutch- 
ings,  John  Caffrey,  John  Donelson,  Jr.,  Mark  Robertson, 
Charles  Robertson,  Mrs.  James  Robertson  and  five  chil- 
dren, Mrs.  Purnell,  M.  Rounsifer,  James  Cain,  Mrs.  Ann 
Cockrill,  Isaac  Neeley,  Jonathan  Jennings,  Benjamin  Belew, 
Peter  Looney,  Capt.  John  Blackmore,  Hugh  Rogan,  Daniel 
Chambers,  Robert  Cartwright,  Moses  Renfroe,  James  John, 
William  Crutchfield,  Hugh  Henry,  Sr.,  Benjamin  Porter, 
Mrs.  Mary  Henry  (widow),  John  Boyd,  John  Cockrill,  John 
White,  Solomon  White,  Daniel  Durham,  John  Gibson,  Sol- 
omon Turpin.  A  party  had  gone  before,  including  Gen. 
Robertson.  Log  huts  were  awaiting  most  of  the  newcomers. 
Had  the  weather  not  been  the  severest  on  record,  the  party 
might  have  suffered  fearfully  from  the  Indians.  Approach  to 
the  Cumberland  settlement  before  1785  was  through  the  wild 
woods  of  Kentucky.  The  Legislature  of  North  Carolina 
provided  an  armed  force  to  protect  the  buffalo  paths.  Rob- 
ertson and  Bledsoe  were  trusted  friends  and  regular  attend- 
ants upon  the  Legislature,  and  generally  were  of  great  im- 
portance to  the  community.  When  the  two  began  to  get 
ready  for  the  journey  they  had  many  things  to  think  of,  a 
pack  horse  or  two  being  necessary  to  answer  the  demands 
of  the  mothers  on  the  return  of  these  great  men. 

In  March,  1784,  ten  pack  horses  arrived,  after  a  six-weeks' 
journey  from  Philadelphia,  the  roads  over  the  Cumberland 
Mountains  being  impassable  for  wagons. 


Gen.   Robertson   had  an  abhorrence  of  the  Creeks   and 
Spaniards.     He  once  said:  "  The  Spaniards  are  inspired  by 
'22) 


Qn  tbe  Watauga  ant>  tbe  Cumberland.         23 


the  devil,  the  Creeks  by  the  devil  and  the  Spaniards,  and 
the  worst  devil  in  human  form  is  the  Creek  chief,  McGilli- 
vray."  Gen.  Robertson  corresponded  with  Mero,  Spanish 
Governor  of  Louisiana,  to  secure  his  good  will,  and  went  so 
far  as  to  name  the  Cumberland  settlement  for  him. 


Next  to  Robertson  the  most  valuable  member  of  the  set- 
tlement on  the  Cumberland  was  Col.  Anthony  Bledsoe.  He 
settled  at  a  place  in  Sumner  County  now  called  Castalian 
Springs,  and  lived  in  a  station  with  the  family  of  his  brother 
Isaac.  On  the  night  of  July  20,  1788,  he  was  mortally 
wounded. 


Under  date  of  November  28,  1788,  Gen.  Robertson  states: 
"  The  new  road  from  Campbell's  Station  was  opened,  and 
the  guard  attended  parties.  About  sixty  families  had  passed 
over,  among  whom  were  Judge  McNairy  and  the  family  of 
the  late  Gen.  Davidson." 


Settlement  of  West  Tennessee. 
That  portion  of  Tennessee  west  of  the  Tennessee  River 
was  not  settled  until  the  State  was  in  a  flourishing  condition. 
The  lands  were  owned  by  the  Chickasaws.  In  1739  tne 
French  made  an  attempt  to  dispossess  the  Chickasaws  of  the 
Bluff  (now  Memphis),  but  were  defeated.  The  attempt 
was  renewed  in  1740  by  Bienville.  They  ascended  the  river 
in  little  boats  and  made  an  attempt  to  make  peace.  In  1782 
Gen.  Robertson  used  Chickasaw  Bluffs  as  a  depot,  from 
which  he  sent  supplies  to  the  Indians.  The  Spanish  Gov- 
ernor, Gayosa,  appeared  at  the  Bluff.  Complaint  was  made 
to  Gen.  Blount  by  the  Chickasaws.  In  1796  a  treaty  was 
made  between  Spain  and  the  United  States,  which  settled  all. 


The  first  iron  furnace  built  in  Tennessee  was  in  1790,  at 
Elizabeth,  Carter  County.  Others  were  built  in  Greene 
and  Johnson  Counties  in  1797.     In  the  following  year  Cum- 


24         Qn  tbe  Xl'Clatauoa  anD  tbe  Cumberland. 


berland  Furnace  was  erected  on  Iron  Fork  of  Benton  Creek, 
in  Dickson  County,  seven  miles  from  the  village  of  Char- 
lotte— named  by  Gen.  James  Robertson  for  his  wife. 


Among  the  early  settlers  corn  bread  was  the  only  bread  in 
use.  The  first  treadmill  was  built  in  1775,  on  Buffalo  Creek, 
Carter  County,  and  a  hominy  pounder  was  built  at  Eaton's 
Station  in  1782.  Big  hominy  pots  for  boiling  were  in  use. 
Each  farmer  had  his  vat,  and  every  member  of  the  family 
was  well  shod.  A  funny  story  is  related  of  our  great  ances- 
tors: It  is  said  that  they  secured  cow  horns  and  polished 
them  and  kept  them  in  use  to  take  their  toddy.  When  a 
friend  would  call  the  horns  were  filled,  and  the  visitor  asked 
to  take  a  "  horn."      Hence  the  expression  often  heard. 


A  thrilling  incident  I  have  heard  related  by  my  grand- 
mother, youngest  daughter  of  James  Robertson.  I  love  to 
tell  of  the  heroic  little  woman,  Charlotte  Robertson.  The 
men  of  the  fort  were  off  planting  corn  in  the  bend  of  the 
river  (now  West  Nashville).  The  dogs,  making  an  inces- 
sant howl,  gave  warning  of  the  nearness  of  the  savages. 
The  brave  Mrs.  Robertson  saddled  her  horse,  prepared  her 
baby  boy  (Felix  Robertson,  first  male  child  born  in  Nash- 
ville), only  a  few  months  old,  secured  her  gun,  with  ammu- 
nition, and  placed  it  in  the  hands  of  Caesar,  a  ten-year-old 
negro  boy.  She  then  mounted  her  horse,  taking  her  baby 
in  front  and  Caesar,  with  his  gun,  behind,  turned  the  dogs 
loose,  and  securely  locked  all  hands  inside  the  fort.  She  in 
haste  left  for  the  field  to  find  her  husband  to  have  him  be 
prepared  for  his  fi'ieuds,  the  Indians.  The  dogs  refused  to 
follow,  but  left  for  Buchanan's  Station,  where  the  settle/s 
were  confined  to  the  stockade  by  overwhelming  numbers. 
Mrs.  Buchanan  and  companions  were  molding  bullets,  as 
well  as  using  the  portholes  for  the  same.  The  dogs  made  for 
the  Indians.  Mrs.  Buchanan,  encouraged  to  know  that  they 
were  being  relieved,  gave  them  full  benefit  of  their  regiment 
of  dogs.     Whooping  and  yelling,  the  Indians  fled.      Besides 


©n  tbe  Matauoa  anfc  tbe  Cumberland         25 


a  heroic  little  woman  in  times  of  need,  Mrs.  Robertson  was 
possessed  of  the  tenderest  of  feelings.  She  had  three  sons 
killed  by  the  Indians,  one  of  them  twelve  years  of  age,  named 
Peyton.  Only  a  short  time  after  the  loss  of  her  boy  she 
gave  birth  to  another.  The  father  suggested  that  they  name 
him  Peyton,  but  no  reply  came  from  the  mother's  lips. 
While  a  baby  she  would  speak  of  him  as  "  my  baby;  "  later 
on,  "my  son;  "  when  he  became  a  physician,  it  was  "  my 
son,  the  doctor."  She  could  never  be  reconciled  to  have 
her  boy's  place  taken,  but  he  remained  her  "  baby  boy, 
Peyton."  

It  is  related  that  "on  one  cold  morning,  with  ice  in  the 
river,  a  number  of  unexpected  horsemen  made  their  appear- 
ance on  the  Cumberland.  Several  of  the  party  were  sick. 
'Who  are  you?'  said  Gen.  Robertson.  The  answer  was 
given:  'We  are  Tories.'  Each  one  had  fought  against 
the  country.  They  wanted  to  live  in  peace,  but  had  noth- 
ing but  their  strong  arms  to  offer.  Being  granted  protec- 
tion, they  would  use  them  in  defense  of  the  settlement. 
Most  of  the  settlers  had  fought  under  John  Sevier.  Like 
him,  intense  in  their  feelings,  they  opposed  the  Tories  com- 
ing on  the  Cumberland,  preferring  Indians.  But  Robertson 
opposed  their  decision.  '  This  is  a  free  country,'  said  he.  '  in 
which  no  man  should  suffer  for  an  opinion.  In  other  words, 
the}'  repent,  and  want  space  for  repentance,  and  we  have 
space  enough  for  the  same  and  space  enough  to  spare.  If 
they  show  themselves  worthy,  I  propose  to  let  them  stay :  if 
they  do  not,  we  are  stronger  than  they-  If  their  acts  deserve 
it,  hang  them  to  the  nearest  tree.'  The  colony  was  thereby 
enforced  by  twentv  good  citizens." 


The  first  capitol  building  of  Tennessee  was  a  log  house 
eighteen  feet  square,  with  a  lean-to  of  twelve  feet  on  one 
side  of  the  house.  It  was  furnished  with  benches,  a  bar,  a 
table  for  the  use  of  court  and  jurors.  The  prison  was  of 
the  same  size  and  dimensions.      The  dwellings  were  of  los^s 


26         On  the  traataiuja  anfc  tbe  Cumberland. 


clunked  with  clay.      The  inside  furniture  consisted  of  split- 
bottom  chairs,  a  rough  pine  table,  and  rustic  bedsteads. 


The  three  sons  of  Valentine  Sevier,  whose  home  was  on 
Red  River,  near  the  present  site  of  Clarksville,  were  in  a 
boat  rowing  toward  Nashville  when  the}-  encountered  a  party 
of  Indians  and  were  killed.  The  sad  news  was  borne  to 
their  distressed  parents  by  John  Price.  Was  this  not  enough 
to  stir  every  soul  in  the  settlement  to  revenge?  These  young 
men  had  lost  an  uncle  in  the  battle  of  King's  Mountain. 


The  Indians  had  a  great  dread  of  John  Sevier,  also  of  his 
mode  of  warfare.  They  gave  him  the  name  of  "  Noli- 
chucky  Jack."      Some  too  called  him  ';  Little  John." 


Evan  Shelby,  a  brother  of  Isaac  Shelbv  (afterwards  first 
Governor  of  Kentucky),  was  killed;  also  Isaac  Bledsoe,  a 
dear  friend  of  Gen.  Robertson. 


An  old  lady  named  Grandma  Haves  lived  with  her  son, 
Capt.  Sam  Hayes,  near  the  Hermitage,  known  as  Hayes's 
Fort.  Her  older  son  married  a  daughter  of  John  Donelson, 
and  thus  became  a  brother-in-law  of  Andrew  Jackson.  In 
the  spring  of  1793  Samuel  had  gone  for  water  and  was  shot 
by  the  savages.  Old  Grandma's  negroes  were  captured  and 
she  was  left  with  one  crippled  servant.  He  came  in  to  his 
mistress  one  morning  crying:  "  Indians!  "  Mrs.  Hayes  and 
her  servant  opened  fire  on  them  and  continued  firing  until 
the  neighbors  came  to  their  rescue.  Blood  was  found,  which 
showed  that  she  and  her  bodviruard  had  clone  some  work. 


The  Shawnees  who  came  from  Savannah  at  one  time 
claimed  the  lands  on  the  Cumberland.  For  many  vears  the 
Shawnees  and  Cherokees  fought  each  other  desperatelv.  At 
length  both   nations,  fearing   a  continuation  of  the  bloody 


Qn  the  Watauga  anfc  tbe  Cumberland.         27 


conflict,  gave  up  this  beautiful  country  on  the  Cumberland, 
which  abounded  in  game  of  every  description.  Gen.  Rob- 
ertson learned  that,  a  century  before  his  time,  the  Shawnees 
had  returned  to  their  "  happy  hunting  ground."  In  the  year 
1 710,  being  again  harassed  by  the  Cherokees,  they  left  per- 
manently.   

In  the  year  1756  Earl  Loudon,  commander  of  the  king's 
troops,  erected  a  stone  fort  on  the  Tennessee  River  at  the 
head  of  navigation,  thirty  miles  from  the  present  site  of 
Knoxville,  called  Fort  Loudon.  It  was  garrisoned  by  two 
hundred  men.  In  the  spring  of  175S  a  settlement  was  es- 
tablished around  the  fort,  which  became  a  village. 


In  1 714  a  French  trader  from  New  Orleans  came  among 
the  Shawnees  who  were  then  living  on  the  Cumberland,  and 
opened  trade  with  that  tribe.  His  store  was  on  a  mound  near 
the  present  site  of  Nashville,  on  Lick  Branch. 


In  1762  a  party  of  hunters  who  were  hunting  on  the  Clinch 
River  passed  through  Cumberland  Gap  and  spent  the  winter 
on  the  Cumberland. 

In  1764  Daniel  Boone,  Samuel  Callowav,  and  Henry 
Scaggins  extended  their  tour  to  the  lower  Cumberland  and 
fixed  their  station  at  Mansker's  Lick. 


Russell  Bean  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Tennessee. 
Bean's  Station  was  named  for  him.  Perhaps  he  might  have 
been  the  son  of  the  Mrs.  Bean  who  was  captured  bv  the  In- 
dians during  the  encounter  at  Fort  Watauga,  and  who  was 
afterwards  liberated  and  conveved  to  her  home  bv  an  escort 
of  warriors. 

One  of  the  last  enactments  of  the  State  of  North  Carolina 
was  one  establishing  Rogersville,  in  Hawkins  Countv,  in 
1780,  it  being  the  last  town  organized  by  North  Carolina. 


28         Qn  tbe  Matauga  anO  tbe  Cumberland. 


February  28,  1788,  Bishop  Francis  Asbury  made  a  visit 
to  the  settlements  on  the  Watauga  and  held  the  first  confer- 
ence west  of  the  mountains. 


In  1S06  the  District  of  Mero  was  divided  into  four  coun- 
ties: Robertson,  Montgomery,  Dickson,  and  Stewart.  These 
four  counties  were  constituted  one  district  by  the  name  of 
Robertson,  courts  being  held  at  Clarksville.  Jackson,  Smith, 
and  Wilson  Counties  constituted  the  District  of  Winchester, 
and  courts  were  held  at  Carthage.  Davidson,  Sumner, 
Williamson,  and  Rutherford  constituted  another  district, 
with  the  seat  of  justice  at  Nashville.  The  District  of  Ham- 
ilton was  formed  in  1793  from  the  counties  of  Jefferson  and 
Knox. 

The  State  was  afterwards  divided  into  five  judicial  circuits 
as  follows:  First  circuit,  Greene, Washington,  Carter,  Cocke, 
and  Jefferson  Counties ;  second  circuit,  Sevier,  Blount,  Knox, 
Anderson,  Roane,  Rhea,  and  Bledsoe;  third  circuit,  Smith, 
Warren,  Franklin,  Sumner,  Overton,  White,  and  Jackson; 
fourth  circuit,  Davidson,  Wilson,  Rutherford,  Williamson, 
Maury,  Giles,  Lincoln,  and  Bedford;  fifth  circuit,  Mont- 
gomery, Dickson,  Hickman,  Humphreys,  Stewart,  and  Rob- 
ertson. The  act  creating  these  courts  went  into  effect  Jan- 
uarv  5,  1S10.  Hugh  L.  White  and  George  W.  Campbell 
were  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court. 


The  first  Court  of  Pleas,  held  in  Washington  County  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1778,  consisted  of  John  Carter,  Chairman;  James 
Robertson,  John  Sevier,  Jacob  Womack,  Robert  Lucas, 
Andrew  Greer,  John  Shelbv,  William  Bean,  George  Rus- 
sell, Zachariah  Isbell,  John  McNabb,  William  Clark,  John 
McMahan,  Benjamin  Gist,  John  Chisholm,  Joseph  Wilson, 
William  Cobb,  Richard  White,  James  Stuart,  Valentine  Se- 
vier. John  Sevier  was  Countv  Clerk ;  Valentine  Sevier, 
Sheriff;  James  Stuart,  Surveyor;  and  John  McMahan, 
Register. 


®n  tbe  Watauga  anfc  tbe  Cumberland         29 


The  first  session  of  Washington  County  Court  was  held 
August  15,  1782,  Hon.  Spruce  McCay  presiding.  Waight- 
still  Avery  was  appointed  Attorney;  and  John  Sevier,  Clerk. 


In  181 7  the  counties  of  Roane,  Rhea,  Bledsoe,  Marion, 
McMinn,  Hamilton,  and  Monroe  were  constituted  the  sev- 
enth circuit.  Henry,  Carroll,  Madison,  Shelby,  Wayne, 
Hardeman,  Hardin,  and  Perry  were  made  the  eighth  circuit 
in  182 1.  Perry,  Henderson,  Carroll,  and  Henry  were  con- 
stituted the  ninth  circuit  in  1823.  Wayne,  Hardin,  McNairy, 
Hardeman,  Fayette,  and  Shelby  formed  the  tenth  circuit  in 
1815.     Archibald  Roane  was  appointed  third  judge. 


One  of  the  first  acts  passed  by  the  Legislature  of  the 
State  of  Franklin  was  to  establish  a  judicial  system.  David 
Campbell  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court;  and 
Joshua  Gist  and  John  Anderson,  Assistant  Judges. 


In  1788  the  government  of  the  State  of  Franklin  ended. 
In  May  of  that  year  courts  under  authority  of  the  State  were 
held  at  Greenville.  Andrew  Jackson,  John  McNairy,  Da- 
vid Allison,  Archibald  Roane,  and  Joseph  Hamilton  were 
licensed  as  attorneys  at  law. 


(Brants  of  Xanb 

B£  <&ueen  j£li3abeth  anfc  Charles  Ml.  in  Sixteenth 
anfc  Seventeenth  Centuries, 

— •-• — 

THE  first  charter  granted  English  subjects  in  North 
America  was  granted  by  Queen  Elizabeth  to  Sir 
Humphrey  Gilbert.  It  was  to  be  of  perpetual  effi 
cacy,  provided  the  plantation  should  be  occupied  six  years. 
It  bore  date  June  n,  1578.  Sir  Humphrey  fitted  out  boats, 
manned  them  with  experienced  boatmen,  and  sailed  for  the 
island  of  Newfoundland,  with  the  purpose  to  plant  a  colo- 
ny. He  made  a  mistake  by  venturing  too  far  north,  and 
was  lost  in  a  terrific  storm.  Thus  ended  the  first  adventure. 
The  second  grant  given  by  Queen  Elizabeth  was  to  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh  March  26,  1584.  She  authorized  him  to 
take  possession  of  all  unoccupied  lands,  or  those  not  in  pos- 
session of  Christian  people. 

Permission  was  given  to  each  one  of  the  queen's  subjects 
who  might  accompany  Sir  Walter  to  this  beautiful  new  coun 
try  to  settle  on  the  land  he  might  discover;  and  he,  as  well 
as  his  heirs,  empowered  to  dispose  of  whatever  lands  he  or 
they  deemed  suitable  to  live  upon,  according  to  the  laws  of 
England. 

Sir  WTalter  Raleigh,  being  one  of  the  most  enterprising  as 
well  as  adventurous  men  of  his  times,  dispatched  two  ves- 
sels, under  command  of  Capts.  Amandas  and  Barlow, 
who  selected  the  course  by  the  Canary  and  West  Indies 
Islands.  They  arrived  on  the  American  coast  July  4,  1584, 
landing  on  the  island  Wocoken.  Raleigh's  grant  was  named 
by  Queen  Elizabeth  "Virginia."  Although  every  precau- 
tion was  used  and  every  attempt  made  to  settle  these  grants, 
all  terminated  disastrouslv.  At  the  end  of  Queen  Elizabeth's 
(30) 


©n  tbe  Watauga  an&  tbe  Cumberland.         3i 


reign,  in  1603,  not  an  Englishman  had  made  permanent  set- 
tlement on  North  American  soil.  In  1607  a  more  success- 
ful effort  was  made  to  establish  a  colony  at  Jamestown,  in 
Virginia,  investing  the  company  with  legislative  power,  in- 
dependent of  the  crown.  In  161 2  a  third  grant  was  con- 
ferred upon  a  company  with  a  more  liberal  form  of  govern- 
ment. In  1619  the  colonists  themselves  were  allowed  a 
share  in  legislation.  In  1621  a  written  Constitution  was 
brought  out  by  Sir  Francis  Wyatt.  Under  this  Constitution 
each  colonist  became  a  free  man.  This  colony  extended  its 
southern  boundaries  to  Albemarle  Sound.  Here  the  first 
settlers  of  North  Carolina  pitched  their  tents. 

Hearing  of  the  kindness  of  the  people  and  the  excellence 
of  the  soil,  also  01  the  salubrity  of  the  climate,  March  24, 
1663,  Charles  II.  made  a  grant  to  'Edward,  Earl  of  Claren- 
don (conspicuous  in  the  Restoration).  Notwithstanding  the 
extent  of  this  grant,  the  owners  secured  another  patent,  with 
enlargement  of  its  power.  This  grant  was  made  June  30, 
1665,  and  included  the  territory  now  comprised  in  the  States 
of  North  and  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Tennessee,  Alabama, 
Mississippi,  Louisiana,  Texas,  and  parts  of  Florida,  Mis- 
souri, New  Mexico,  and  California.  The  line  of  thirty-six 
degrees  and  thirty  minutes,  extending  from  the  top  of  the 
Alleghany  Mountains  to  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Tennessee 
River,  separates  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  Among  the 
powers  granted  to  these  lords  as  proprietors  of  this  immense 
province  were  those  of  dictating  a  Constitution  and  laws  for 
the  people.  This  grant  was  surrendered  to  the  King  July 
25.  i729»  each  of  the  seven  receiving  twenty-five  hundred 
pounds,  besides  a  small  sum  for  quit  rents.  Earl  Granville, 
eighth  proprietor,  relinquished  his  claim  to  the  right  of  gov- 
ernment, by  a  commission  appointed  jointlv  by  the  king. 
He  was  given  his  eighth  of  the  land  as  follows:  North  by 
Virginia  line,  east  by  the  Atlantic,  south  by  latitude  thirty 
degrees.  Prior  to  this  the  government  of  North  Carolina 
had  been  proprietary;  after  1729  it  became  regal,  and  the 
province    was    divided    into    two    governments,    North    and 

46003.'* 


32         ©n  tbe  IKHatauoa  anc>  tbe  Cumberland. 


South  Carolina,  in   1732.     The  Georgia  charter,  issued  in 
1732,  comprised  much  ot  the  Carolina  grant. 

The  territory  now  embraced  in  Tennessee,  from  this  time 
until  the  treaty  of  Paris,  continued  the  property  of  the  Brit- 
ish Government,  when  all  right  was  relinquished  to  North 
Carolina.  The  descendants  of  Lord  Carteret  brought  suit 
just  before  the  war  of  181 2  against  the  United  States  Court 
for  recovery  of  possession  of  the  District  of  North  Carolina. 
The  history  of  the  establishment  of  the  line  thirty-six  de- 
grees and  thirty  minutes  as  the  northern  boundary  line  of 
North  Carolina  is  as  follows:  James  I.,  King  of  England, 
May  23,  1609,  made  a  grant  to  Robert,  Earl  of  Salisbury, 
and  numerous  others,  "  of  all  countries  lying  in  that  part  of 
America  called  Virginia,  from  the  point  of  land  called  Point 
Comfort  all  along  the  seacoast  to  the  northward  two  hun- 
dred miles,  and  from  the  same  Point  Comfort  to  the  sea- 
coast  southward  two  hundred  miles,  all  that  land  from  sea 
to  sea."  The  above  was  the  enlarged  grant  of  the  London 
Land  Company,  extending  along  the  Atlantic  coast  from 
Sandy  Hook  to  Cape  Fear,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific 
Oceans. 

In  1620  the  grant  to  the  Plymouth  Company  made  the 
fortieth  parallel  their  southern  limit,  and  established  that 
parallel  as  the  northern  boundary  of  Virginia.  In  March 
Charles  II.  made  his  first  grant  to  the  proprietors  of  Caro- 
lina. June  30,  1665,  he  enlarged  this  grant  to  what  is  fa- 
mous in  historv  as  "  Mason  and  Dixon's  Line."  The  lan- 
guage of  the  second  charter  of  Charles  II.  pertains  to  the 
lines  as  follows:  "All  the  province  in  America  extending 
north  and  eastward  as  far  north  as  the  Currituck  Inlet,  west 
of  Wyon  Creek  about  thirty-six  degrees  north  latitude,  west 
as  far  as  South  Sea." 

The  boundary  line  between  North  Carolina  and  Virginia 
began  to  be  the  source  of  disgusting  disagreements,  for  the 
reason  that  the  grant  of  Charles  overlapped  that  of  his 
grandfather,  James  I.  The  London  Company  was  dissolved 
by   King  James.      When    this   occurred  Virginia  became  a 


©n  tbe  Matauaa  anfc  the  Cumberland.        33 


royal  province,  hence  the  settlement  of  the  boundary  lines 
devolved  upon  the  crown  and  the  land  proprietors.  Com- 
missioners were  appointed  in  1710  representing  the  crown 
and  the  land  proprietors,  and  they  split  on  a  difference  of 
fifteen  miles.  Against  the  Carolina  commissioners  serious 
charges  were  made.  January  11,  1711,  the  commissioners 
failed  to  agree.  They  met  at  Currituck  Inlet  March  6,  1728. 
The  next  step  was  taken  in  1749,  wnen  the  line  was  extend- 
ed westward  from  Peter's  Creek,  where  Col.  Byrd  extended 
the  line,  to  a  point  on  Steep  Rock,  a  distance  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty -nine  miles  from  the  coast.  Virginia's 
commissioners  were  Joshua  Fry  and  Peter  Jefferson,  father 
of  Thomas  Jefferson;  North  Carolina's  were  Daniel  Wel- 
den  and  William  Churton.  These  lines  were  satisfactory, 
and  remained  the  boundary  line  of  North  Carolina  and  Vir- 
ginia, as  by  treaty  of  Paris  in  1763  the  Mississippi  River 
was  fixed  upon  as  the  western  boundary  of  North  Carolina. 
In  1779,  urged  by  necessity  of  the  western  settlement,  the 
Legislatures  of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia  appointed  com- 
missioners to  extend  lines  westward.  They  were  Col.  Rich- 
ard Henderson,  Dr.  Thomas  Walker,  William  B.  Smith, 
and  Daniel  Smith.  The  boundary  lines  remained  a  disput- 
ed question  in  some  points  up  to  the  middle  of  this  century. 
3 


0 


Jllllll  ilium 


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-liiliiliiiiiiiiiiimimiiiiiiiiiiuiiiimiMimiiiiiiiiiiiilMiniilir 

THIS  STOVE,   $16. 

Put  up  Complete,  Ready  for  Cooking. 


This  make  of  Stoves  was  used  and  indorsed  by  Mrs.  Sarah 
Rorer,  during  her  Lectures  and  Cooking  Exhibitions  in  this  city,  and 
was  furnished  her  by  the  NASHVIIJ,E  GASUGHT  CO.  This 
company  has  recently  received  the  largest  shipment  of  Gas  Cooking 
Ranges  ever  ordered  by  a  Southern  company.  They  are  now  on  ex- 
hibition at  their  office, 

611  CHURCH  STREET,  Nashville,  Tenn. 


It  is  with  great  pleasure  I  recommend  my  Gas  Stove.  By  the  use 
of  it  I  am  enabled  to  do  my  own  cooking;  otherwise  I  would  be  com- 
pelled to  hire  a  cook.  There  is  certainly  a  fascination  about  the  Stove. 
No  Stove  equals  it  for  baking  fine  cakes,  roasting — in  fact,  it  excels  all. 
In  summer  you  are  exempt  from  heat;  in  winter  you  can  transfer  to 
the  dining-room  use  for  heating  and  cooking  combined,  by  a  process 
of  oven  heat.  Mrs.  Ann  E.  Snyder. 


J.  H.  FALL  &  CO 


MA.RL>\VA.RE 
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SAFE  DERARTMENTt 

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niCl'CLE  AM)  RERAIR 

L>ERART*IISNT: 
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IMPLEMENT 
DEPARTMENT  : 

155  and  157  N.  Market  St. 


J.  II.  FA.LL  &  CO.,        Nashville,  Tenu. 


GEO.  MOORE. 
JNO.  MOORE. 


OFFICE  OF 


GEO.  MOORE,  Jr. 
R.  T.  MOORE. 


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These  Mantels  are  sold  in  manu  places  throughout  the  South. 


0.  P.  THRUSTON,  Pres.  JAMES  HcLAUGHLIN,  Vice  Pres.  D.  R.  JOHNSON,  Sec'y- 


STATE  INSURANCE  CO. 

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Largest  arid  Most  Conqplete  Jewelry  House  in  tl\e  Soilttj. 


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Watches  of  All  the  Standard  Makers. 

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NASHVILLE,    TENN. 


Mm,* 


^  f4asty)ille  §l]orfl7ar\d  Institute 

^  Tennessee  Business  ^o!1g|g, 


<W)/> 


W* 


Willcox  Building,  Corner  Church  and  High  Streets. 

'  T  "  flliEXflNDEl^  Fflli^,  President. 

SHORTHAND,  TYPEWRITING,  BOOKKEEPING, 

TELEGRHPHY,  PENMANSHIP, 

AND  ALL  ENGLISH  BRANCHES  THOROUGHLY  TAUGHT. 

Tuition  within  the  Reach  of  All 

Good  Positions  for  All  When  Qualified. 

W1IFLETE  C0MILSE,  H©  HE  LIKE  ^©MWEMMElNi^ES, 

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perfect  fiatisf action  CBiOen  or  Mone^  Refunded. 

CALL  OR  WRITE  FOR  TERMS. 

w.  g.  collier,  President;  Authorized  Capital,  $100,000. 

POPE  f ftYLOR,  Vice  President;  — ^= 

J.  E.  flflRT,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 


W.  C.  COLLIER  GROCERY  CO., 


WHOLESALE  AND  RETAIL 
DEALERS  IN 


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The  Newsiest,  Livest,  Best  and  Cheapest  Paper  Published  in  the  South. 
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Think  how  cheap  it  is,  104  Papers  a  Year  for 
One  Dollar. 

The  Semiweekly  American  needs  no  intro- 
duction. It  has  been  published  111  Nashville  for 
over  fifty  years.     How  can  you  do  without  it? 

The  Semiweekly  American  will  keep  you 
posted  on  all  local,  State,  and  national  affairs. 

The  Semiweekly  American  gives  you  an 
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than  you  can  get  an  eight-page  paper  once  a 
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specially  prepared  for  ladies  and  children.  The 
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from  head  rules  to  foot  slugs,  always  fighting 
for  the  people  against  monopolies  and  trusts. 

The  Semiweekly  American  is  a  member  of 
the  Associated  Press,  consequently  furnishes 
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The  Semiweekly  American  offers  all  subscrib- 
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THE  SEMIWEEKLY  AMERICAN, 


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^be  IRasbville  Banner, 


The  Leading  Afternoon  Daily 
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The  Nashville  Evening  Banner  is  an  independent  Democratic  journal  which 
has  achieved  a  remarkable  success  and  stands  in  the  front  rank  of  progressive  and 
influential  newspapers  in  Tennessee.  It  publishes  the  news  of  the  day  impartially, 
and  without  any  coloring  for  effect,  and  in  its  editorial  columns  boldly  and  fearlessly 
discusses  all  matters  of  public  interest  without  truckling  to  the  dictates  or  influences 
of  any  party,  organization,  or  political  leaders.  The  signal  success  of  the  Banner  is 
the  proof  of  the  wisdom  of  its  management  and  of  its  standing  with  the  public.  Mr. 
G.  H.  Baskette  is  the  editor;  and  Mr.  Edgar  M.  Foster,  Business  Manager. 

Terms,  $5  per  year  for  Daily,  and  $1  per  year  for  Weekly. 

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BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS. 

W.  E.  Metzger,  President;  Ctias.  W.  Harmon,  Vice  President; 

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WB  INVITE  All  Merchants,  When  in  Nashville,  to  Visit 
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J 


{University  of  IRasbville 


IfSeaboo^  Bormal  College. 

William  H.  Payne.  Ph.D.  LL.D., 

Chancellor  of  the  University  and  President  of  the  College. 


INSTRUCTORS. 


William  II.  Payne,  Ph.D.,  LL.D., 
History,  Theory,  and  Art  of  Education. 

Julia  A.  Sears,  A.M., 
3/athematics.    - 

Lizzik  L.  Bloomstein, 
History  and  Geography. 

John  L.  Lampson,  A.M., 
Latin  Language  and  Literature. 

Benjamin  B.  Penfield,  A.M.,  Ph.D., 
Biology. 

Julia.  A.  Doak,  A.M., 
Mathematics. 

A.  L.  Purinton,  M.D.,  Ph.D., 
Physics  and  Chemistry. 

Hiram  A.  Vance,  Ph.D., 

English  Language. 

Ellery  C.  Huntington,  A.B., 

Greek,  Political  Economy,  and  Physical 

Training. 

Mary  E.  Cheney* 

Vocal  Music. 

Albert  P.  Bourland,  A.M., 

English  Literature. 

WlCKUFFE   ROSE,  A.M., 

Philosophy  and  Pedagogy. 

Elizabeth  R.  Clark,  A.B., 

Librarian  and  Teacher  of  Art. 

Chari.fs  E.  Little,  A.B., 
Latin  and  Mathematics. 


Lura  Tozer,  A.B., 
Winchester    Chair    of    Modern    Lan- 
guages. 
P.  H.  Manning,  A.M., 
Geology. 
Yen ie  J.  Lee,  A.B., 
Physical  Training. 
Lula  O.  Andrews,  L.I., 
Vocal  Music. 
Aristine  G.  Glover.  A.B., 
Principal  Winthrop  JModel  School. 
Mollie  Arthur,  B.L., 
Winthrop  Model  School. 

Mary  Lee  Clark, 

Winthrop  Model  School. 

May  Payne, 

First  Assistant  Librarian. 

Lassie  Jones, 

Assistant  in  Art. 

James  M.  King,  B.S., 

Assistant  in  Chemistry. 

Alice  Oney, 

Assistant  in  Art. 

Annie  Ci.avbrooke  Allison,  A.B., 

Winthrop  Model  School. 

Edgar  M.  Wrioht,  L  I., 

Assistant  in  English. 

John  I).  MacRae, 

Assistant  in  Gymnasium. 

W.  R.  Garrett,  A  M.,  Ph.D., 

American  Hist  or  v. 


*Absent  in  Europe  one  year  on  leave. 


WII/LIAM  R.  PAYNE,  Secretary  to  the  President. 


...  MEDICAI,  DEPARTMENT  ... 

University  *  2E  ♦  Nashville. 


-m*. 
«*»^ 


JOHN  H.  CALLENDER    M.D. 
W.  G.  EWING,  M.D.,  PH.G., 


Ph.D.  Dean  of  Faculty. 
Secretary  of  Faculty. 


<     <     FACULTY.     ►     ►  ; 


(..  MADDIN,  M.D., 
wJProfessor  of  Principles  of  Medi- 
cine and  General  Pathology . 

L.  NICHOL,  M.D., 

Professor  of  Obstetrics,  Diseases 
of  Children,  and  Clinical  Medi- 
cine. 

H.  CALLENDER,  M.D.,  Ph.D., 

Professor  of  Diseases  of  the 
Brain  and  Nervous  System. 

J.  M.  S AFFORD,  M.D.,  Ph.D., 

Professor  of  Chemistry. 

C.  S.  BIUGGS,  A.M.,  M.D., 

Professor  of  Surgery. 

W.  G.  EWING,  Ph.G.,  M.D., 

Professor  of  Materia  Mediea 
and  Therapeutics. 


C.  R.  ATCHISON,  M.D., 

Professor  of  Dermatology,  Syphi- 
lology,  and  Genito -urinary  Dis- 
eases. 

S.  S.  CROCKETT,  M.D  , 
Professor  of  Anatomy. 

AMBROSE  MORRISON,  M.D., 
Professor  of  Physiology. 

J.  S.  CAIN,  M.D. , 

Professor  of  Practice  of  Medicine 
and  Clinical  Medicine. 

M.  C.  McGANNON,  A.M.,  M.D., 
Professor  of  Diseases  of  Women 
and  Gynecological  Surgery. 

L.  B.  GRADDY,  M.D., 

Professor  of  Diseases  of  Eye,  Ear, 
Throat,  Nose,  and  Bacteriology. 


V^fc^JFk****1**^! 


Hon.  J.  M.  ANDERSON,  Professor  of  Medical  Jurisprudence. 

* 

The  REGULAR  Course  of  Lectures  commences  OCTOBER  i.  The  PRE- 
LIMINARY Course  commences  SEPTEMBER  2.  The  Anatomical  Rooms 
open  on  the  latter  date,  with  material  free  of  charge.  For  Catalogue  and 
Announcement,  address    .    .    . 

W.  G.  EWING,  M.D.,  Secretary, 

504  Church  Street,  =  Nashville,  Tenn. 


THE  LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

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